Each Homecoming weekend, Hanover businesses reap the economic benefits of the thousands of alumni dollars that flow into town.
Restaurants, grocery stores and other local businesses deem Homecoming the most successful business weekend of the year.
It "is one of the busiest times of the year for us," Matt Marshall, manager of the Hanover Inn, said.
On Dartmouth Night, the Inn is responsible for running 15 different social events, according to Marshall. The dining room and the Ivy Grill are packed and the Inn is about twice as busy as on regular Friday nights, he said.
Marshall's description of Homecoming business was echoed by other restaurant owners as well, including the owners of Everything But Anchovies and the Dirt Cowboy Cafe.
Charlie Dowd of EBA's said, "Every year [Homecoming] is the busiest weekend of the year," and characterized the crowd as "almost overwhelming."
"It's a big boost for business," Dirt Cowboy Cafe owner Thomas Guerra said.
Some local grocery stores also said they experience a boost in sales on Homecoming weekend as well.
John Hammond, grocery manager of Grand Union, said there is a "noticeable increase" in sales during Homecoming weekend.
He said one factor contributing to the jump in sales is the increased sale of alcohol.
Sheila Spencer of Stinson's Village Store disagreed.
She said although Homecoming sales were comparable to those of other fall weekends, she has observed an annual increase in sales during that weekend.
Spencer said she does not believe that Stinson's alcohol sales rise significantly during Homecoming weekend.
Other local shops, such as the Dartmouth Bookstore and the Dartmouth Co-Op, see massive jumps in sales during the annual return of the Big Green faithful.
Bookstore manager Dave Cioffi said business is roughly 20 percent better than on an average weekend.
Chris Stowe, manager of the Co-Op, estimated that the Saturday Homecoming game will bring in twice the business of a normal football game.
Except for the Co-Op, all of the businesses interviewed said they did not plan to offer any special promotions or sales to lure in visiting alumni.
"We've got more people than we can handle and discounts would make no sense," Guerra said, echoing the sentiments of many managers and owners.
"They're going to come in [the Bookstore] anyway," Cioffi said. We plan to "overwhelm them with merchandise" rather than relying on discounts.
Despite their generally positive response to the boost in sales generated by Homecoming weekend, some managers raised concerns that the event is drawing less of a crowd than in the past.
Marshall noted that Homecoming business "is not as hectic as it was five years ago" and speculated that a decline in football fanaticism may be responsible.
On the other hand, he said, perhaps the Inn staff has simply become better organized and deals with the crowds more efficiently.
Stowe also expressed uncertainty about how well this year's weekend would measure up to past events.
He was concerned that the lack of an Ivy League opponent would result in a smaller football crowd than in the past, although he still expected the "single biggest retail weekend of the year."
